2008 Jul-Aug OMN Tour Review

3 weeks back, guess it is time for a full coverage and pouring out of gratitudes to the ones that made life enjoyable while far away from home.  This is the follow-up post to Bye Bye Barna, Bye Bye Spain.

Upon arrival in Berlin, I had a few days off to relax and enjoy the summer at a secluded syrphe infested beach (pun intended) before heading to the Staalplaat to carry out the sonic destruction with another abstract noise creator Pato.   This concert was the opening for Cambriolage, an exhibition by Emilie Schalck and Stephane Despax.  The exhibition set the tone for the night, this time, the Sistiaga visuals were not alone as the backdrop also featured visuals of the exhibit.

Goodbye to good friends and made some new ones as well as we bid goodbye to Berlin and flew into the open arms of Kristaps in Riga.  Most shocking of all was upon arrival in Riga airport, we didn’t even make it further than the 10 meters from the exit of the plan before our organizer Kristaps greeted us.  Yes, we saw him even before we saw our baggage!

It was nice this time to see the sun in a city which only see less than a month of rainless days per year.  But before we embarked on tourism in yet another city, we hopped on a bus and went to the next destination expecting this troupe – Kuldiga.  It was back to the Zabadaks DIY Centre!  Having a few days off was a well needed one, and where better than the little historical town of Kuldiga to spend it under Europe’s Longest Waterfall (note: longest, doesn’t mean montrous!).  The show itself at Zabadaks was not one of the more well received ones and technical problems didn’t help of course, better you enjoy the massage under the rushing currents like ladies in middle photo below!


After almost a week of laying back and absorbing rural, we got a lift from Edgars (Spanis) back into concrete civilazation named Riga…  But again, we will not be there for long as the next leg of the tour brings us for just 2 days to Tampere Finland.

We take the cheapest flight we could find and met up with Ilmari of the dark ambient band Älymystö.  The show was in a renovated ex-Karaoke bar named Dog’s Home.  It was the hotspot for the local goths to gather.  The concert was great, full house, well all the tables were full, but strange in the sense that everyone was seated at their tables watching intensely.  I didn’t really know what they thought of the show, but for me, I felt like a crooner!

Quick and easy, left on Tuesday, back on Thursday from civilization returning into the countryside for the highlight of this tour.  Heading to the middle of nowhere, One Man Nation had the wonderful opportunity of performing for legendary Latvian industrial organization STURM.  Folklore has it that the old Soviet military bunkers were turned into Sunday afternoon concert/party places by the same people who are organizing the Kucval, which means cattle ranch in Latvian.  The name of the even was called this simply because it takes place at one, or rather the stage on top of the ranch and the bar is literally where the cattle used to feed!  Photos will tell this story better than any Rushdie book…

Ok some short little descriptions from left, (1) to give a general impression, a graveyard of what was once trees.  (2) the stage in the day, visible rubble is catered for audience.  (3) Stage at night during performance.  (4 & 5) General area around Kucval after the sun goes down…

Saying farewell to Latvia was difficult, but well, all good things they say…  You know the rest.  Back to Berlin after that, no shows this time but spent the 2 days there working with Richard Scott on our material as well as the videos of our performance for STEIM in May.  After all was said and done, it was back to the house of wagons in Cologne!

A frightening flight it was from Berlin to Cologne, turbulance throughout, funny in retrospect (if alive to be retrospective in the first place), it was a chilling flight, worse yet, the last one of the tour.  Alas, we arrived safe.  Returning to the Bauwagenplatz in Cologne was nice, this year, our friend Sebastian who organized the shows there last year as well, has since gotten himself a nice old circus wagon and joined the ranks of inhabitants (he was in a lonely apartment in suburbia the previous time we met).  The show went well, but as with most of the tour, it was meeting up with familiar faces as well as visiting new and extremely interesting places that keeps me craving for more!  So, till next time,

Links And Things

Staalplaat Record Shop – http://www.lepetitmignon.de/
Cambriolage – http://www.cambriolage.org/
Zabadaks DIY Center – http://www.nekac.lv
Älymystö – http://www.alymysto.com/
STRUM – http://www.sturm.lv/
Bauwagenplatz Cologne – http://www.bwp-koeln.de/